… [Read more...] about Cartoon: Why Trump hated the Iran deal
Trump & Putin By The Book: Five Outstanding Must-Reads About Two Deeply Evil People
The problem with writing a definitive history of the Russia scandal is that the scandal is still writing itself. Revelations come thick and fast, sometimes daily. What authors are left with is writing primers that background the scandal, and with publication last week of Seth Hetenna's Trump/Russia: A Definitive History, there are now five books in particular that … [Read more...] about Trump & Putin By The Book: Five Outstanding Must-Reads About Two Deeply Evil People
‘Cheyenne Mountain’ and I When We Were Both Young, or ‘Claustrophobes Need Not Apply’
One of the most fascinating and rewarding tours of duty during my Air Force career was my assignment to the NORAD Combat Operations Center (the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain “Complex”) just outside Colorado Springs, Colorado, a facility deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, able to “withstand a nuclear blast that would shake the mountain as fiercely as any earthquake could.” The latter … [Read more...] about ‘Cheyenne Mountain’ and I When We Were Both Young, or ‘Claustrophobes Need Not Apply’
Trump White House’s political debasement continues unabated
Just when you think there's a new bottom, some comment comes out intentionally or leaks out from the Trump administration that sets a new low standard for the nose-diving decline of our political "discussion" and the articulation of political differences. The Washington Post's Aaron Blake perfectly describes it: The White House probably thinks it cannot punish Kelly Sadler … [Read more...] about Trump White House’s political debasement continues unabated
Mad Magazine’s clout may have faded, but its ethos matters more than ever before
The magazine taught its readers to never swallow what they’re served. Nick Lehr/The Conversation via Jasperdo, CC BY-NC-ND Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine Mad Magazine is still hanging on. In April, it launched a reboot, jokingly calling it its “first issue.” But in terms of cultural resonance and mass popularity, it’s largely lost its … [Read more...] about Mad Magazine’s clout may have faded, but its ethos matters more than ever before
Godspeed, John McCain. You are my hero.
WASHINGTON -- At long last, have they left no sense of decency? White House official Kelly Sadler, during a meeting Thursday, had this to say about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for opposing President Trump's CIA nominee over her failure to condemn torture: "It doesn't matter, he's dying anyway." Also Thursday, on Fox Business Network, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas … [Read more...] about Godspeed, John McCain. You are my hero.
American Waterloo
Hilariously, I was listening to Erick Erickson on All Things Considered, on NPR, with some inside-the-beltway journo and the obligatory, obsequious* NPR moderator. And Erickson ticked off the misconstruction that Trump has created, and noted that Trump had paid "no consequences." And I wondered why those dead, unarmed Palestinians weren't "consequences" -- the current Kent … [Read more...] about American Waterloo
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Donald Trump and Iran
OF RELATED INTEREST: --How Trump’s Iran deal decision may lead to war --Is Trump repeating the mistakes of the Iraq War in Iran? --“ALL EGO, ZERO STRATEGY”: HAS TRUMP SET THE U.S. ON A PATH TO WAR WITH IRAN? Mike Peters is recognized as one of our nation’s most prominent cartoon artists for his outstanding work as both a political and comic strip cartoonist. His favorite … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Donald Trump and Iran
Is Trump throwing a match into the Middle East tinderbox?
WASHINGTON -- The one area in which any president has almost complete latitude is foreign affairs. Lord save us. Lord save the world, actually. President Trump is making rash and risky moves that promise either brilliant success or catastrophic failure. Given that it's Trump we're dealing with, I do not like the odds. I can only applaud his achievement in securing the … [Read more...] about Is Trump throwing a match into the Middle East tinderbox?
No, the war in Afghanistan isn’t a hopeless stalemate
Afghan Northern Alliance fighters in 2001. Almost two decades later, the war continues. AP Photo/David Guttenfelder Robert M. Cassidy, Wesleyan University The war in Afghanistan has become so protracted that it warrants the epithet the “Groundhog Day War.” Fighting has gone on for nearly 17 years, with U.S. troops in Afghanistan seven years longer … [Read more...] about No, the war in Afghanistan isn’t a hopeless stalemate
Ways YOU can help The Moderate Voice
Efforts continue behind the scenes to help The Moderate Voice grow, despite this site and others having lost a source of great free syndicated content. Efforts are going on to upgrade our content and technical set up. And, heading into 2020, there is reason to expect TMV will grow. But here are some ways you can help: 1. Share TMV posts you like on social media. You'll … [Read more...] about Ways YOU can help The Moderate Voice
Reprehensible Remarks by a Retired Air Force General ( FINAL UPDATE)
FINAL UPDATE: As Trump continues to brazenly refuse to apologize for – or even address -- the disgraceful remarks made by one of his staff members about Senator John McCain(below), one prominent Republican has had the guts to “blast” White House officials for “refusing to condemn a vile remark made about the mortality of Sen. John McCain…” Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) … [Read more...] about Reprehensible Remarks by a Retired Air Force General ( FINAL UPDATE)
Why the betrayal of Bill Cosby, Eric Schneiderman and other influential men is deeper than you think
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman at a news conference in New York in 2016. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File Hilary Jerome Scarsella, Vanderbilt University New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned on Monday, May 7, hours after The New Yorker published an article in which four women accused him of physical abuse. This came soon … [Read more...] about Why the betrayal of Bill Cosby, Eric Schneiderman and other influential men is deeper than you think
Trump’s flawed version of disruption
WASHINGTON -- On the same day that President Trump recklessly pulled the United States out of the nuclear deal with Iran, the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels fired the informational equivalent of a heat-seeking missile at the Trump presidency. Taken together, these events clarify the nature of what Trump has inflicted on our country. Trump is regularly described … [Read more...] about Trump’s flawed version of disruption
Trump’s Anti-Nuclear Strategy- Pooof!
It is amazing how often Donald Trump acts on important issues without a significant strategy. He cannot put two and two together to understand how one action can impact another. In trying to get North Korea to surrender its nuclear weapons, Trump did not give full consideration to how his Iran action would affect North Korea. He was itching to withdraw from the Iran pact made … [Read more...] about Trump’s Anti-Nuclear Strategy- Pooof!
Trump’s Anti-Nuclear Strategy- Pooof!
It is amazing how often Donald Trump acts on important issues without a significant strategy. He cannot put two and two together to understand how one action can impact another. In trying to get North Korea to surrender its nuclear weapons, Trump did not give full consideration to how his Iran action would affect North Korea. He was itching to withdraw from the Iran pact made … [Read more...] about Trump’s Anti-Nuclear Strategy- Pooof!
(UPDATE VI) Trump Bag Man Netted Millions From Russian Oligarch & Big Corporations
I have long believed that the many shady deals that Donald Trump, his fixer Michael Cohen and their associates made with Russians, Ukrainians and others in the years before he became president are of less importance to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and other investigators than the individuals involved in those deals. That has been borne out in another stunning week of … [Read more...] about (UPDATE VI) Trump Bag Man Netted Millions From Russian Oligarch & Big Corporations
An Ex-POW Speaks Out on Gina Haspel’s CIA Nomination (UPDATES)
UPDATE: Please scroll down for CODA and an Update Original Post Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain who himself faced years of torture while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam during that War (an experience that Trump has ridiculed), today came out in opposition to Gina Haspel’s nomination to be CIA director. McCain, who has been home in Arizona battling … [Read more...] about An Ex-POW Speaks Out on Gina Haspel’s CIA Nomination (UPDATES)
A Review of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies
When I told my wife, Jennifer that we were seeing the North American touring production of Love Never Dies at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, she asked me if it was a “new James Bond musical.” I said something such as “No, although I would totally see a James Bond musical, Love Never Dies is actually a sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and that’s pretty … [Read more...] about A Review of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies
The Perils of an Un Name
Remember Abbott and Costello’s hilariously funny baseball skit, “Who’s on First?” There have been several renderings of it, but basically the lengthy exchange revolves around Abbott trying to explain to Costello, who is on a mythical baseball team, the names of the players on the team and how ball-players are given funny names. Part of the exchange: Abbott: Strange as … [Read more...] about The Perils of an Un Name